


Long Live Us

by god_707



Series: Mystic Messenger High School AU [1]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gen, my longest yea boi ever, yoosung is a puppy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:09:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8167927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/god_707/pseuds/god_707
Summary: The everyday shenanigans of our favorite ragtag group of Young Adults.





	1. One

Your eyes feel heavy as you listen to your first period teacher drone on about “expectations for the year” or something like that. Despite this being your first day of sophomore year at a new school, you didn’t really care enough to get a decent amount of sleep last night, and when you slept through your alarm this morning all you could do was throw on an oversized turtleneck sweater and jeans before you had to leave the house. People usually attempt to look nice on the first day of school, but you’ve moved around so much and been through so many “first days,” you were jaded when it came to impressing people. You and your mother lived alone, and her line of work caused you to move about every two years since you were in 3rd grade. She says this time it will permanent, but you seriously doubt it. 

The bell interrupts your train of thought and triggers a speech from your English teacher about how _he_ dismisses you, not the bell, but the class collectively ignores him and leaves anyway. You slide your backpack onto one shoulder and pull out a folded up school map as you enter the bustling hallway. Second period is astronomy in room L-201. Since you weren’t familiar with the layout of the school yet, you accepted the fact that you were probably going to be late to class today. This campus wasn’t exactly user friendly; it was bigger than any school you’ve attended and the buildings seemed to be laid out in a random order. Why wasn’t building L next to building K or M? You pass through building B to get to the science building on the other side. As you push the heavy doors of building K open, the piercing sound of the late bell blares through the mostly empty hallway. You let out a small sigh and let your shoulders droop more than they already were. Of course, you wouldn’t get in trouble for being late on the first day of class, but a feeling of dread began to build up, thinking about all the eyes that would be on you when you walked into class after it had already started. You tried to shake it off as you approached room L-201 and opened the door. In the room you see rows of desks occupied by bored-looking students, and it seems like your entrance interrupted your new teacher’s enthusiastic blabber about the coming school year. He stops and turns to you.

“Thanks for joining us,” he said to you with a smile, “you can sit at any empty desk.”

You quickly scan the room for empty seats. Your eyes land on an empty desk towards the back, so you walk over and sit down. You haphazardly toss your backpack on the ground and quickly find yourself struggling to stay awake as your teacher introduces the curriculum. After all, you’re only in astronomy because you needed another elective.  You can’t let yourself fall asleep on the _first day_ though, it’s bad form.

As if the world could tell you were about to pass out, you feel something hit your back. It felt like someone threw a balled up piece of paper at you or something. Was some punk kid already trying to mess with you? Fresh out of patience, you turn around to shut down whatever was going on.

“Hey, can you not?” even though you had to whisper, you did your best to sound intimidating. The culprit was a dorky looking boy with a messy head of bright red hair and large, bulky, brown and yellow striped glasses. Underneath his glasses were a pair of striking golden eyes, and looking at them almost made you forget why you turned around in the first place. The feeling of irritation still pricked at you, and it only grew stronger when he opened his mouth.

“Oops. I missed,” he said, with a blank look on his face. Is that really all this guy had to say to you?

“Maybe you shouldn’t throw things around a classroom with such bad aim.” Your eyes rolled at him. Tomorrow you’ll get to class early and pick a seat far away from this guy.

“Or maybe…” He opened his mouth again with a serious expression and brought his hand to his chin, as if the whole incident was a truly puzzling matter. “Hitting you wasn’t a mistake at all. Call it fate, call it destiny, but don’t call it bad aim.” As the redhead finished this thought, the corner of his mouth began to curl into a smirk.

“How about calling it leave me alone.” Your response wasn’t exactly clap back of the century, but it’s the best you could do in response the way he was acting. You just wanted a peaceful class today, so you decide to cut the conversation short and turn back around. Hopefully the excitement for your day can end with this. Unfortunately, second period wasn’t ready to leave you alone just yet. When you face forward, your eyes land on the person sitting in front of you. After a moment, he turns around to face you, and you hope he doesn’t plan to mess with you too. The first thing you notice about him is his frustrated expression, but a few other things catch your eye too. He has beautiful, shiny blond hair that flips outward, and wears a hairclip in the front. His hair is messy, but somehow put together enough to still look good. Although he looked upset, there was still softness to his face. Even his violet eyes struck you as more soothing than intimidating, though his furrowed brow said otherwise.

You realize it’s probably more important to be worried about why the boy facing you is upset, not thinking about how cute his hair is. He seems to be looking behind you instead of directly at you, which you decide to take as a good sign.

“Seven, shut up!” the blond whispers furiously past you. It’s safe to assume he’s addressing the same boy that just threw paper at your back, but you don’t really care. You look down at your desk, feeling slightly awkward about being caught in the middle of their conversation.

“Oh Yoosung, perfect! I was trying to get your attention.”

Listening to this exchange, it occurs to you that the red head meant to hit this blond kid with a piece of paper, not you. They obviously know each other, though, so why not just call his name instead of throwing paper like a 2nd grader?

“What do you need? We should be keeping quiet right now.” hissed the blonde boy, who you think the redhead just referred to as Yoosung. He sounds frustrated, but still willing to hear his friend out. Or, at least, you assume they’re friends. You continue to stare at your desk and twist around the ends of your sleeves into sweater paws, as you feel more than hear a whisper on the back of your neck.

“Your shirt tag is sticking out, boy”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you bothered this poor kid over that.” You’re surprised by Yoosung’s mention of you, but refuse to take your eyes off the desk. All you wanted was a drama free day, but once again you’ve been roped into a conversation. Out of the corner of your eye you see Yoosung’s gaze shift to you. Reluctantly, you raise your head as he addresses you.

“Sorry about Sev- “

His apology on the redheads behalf was clipped short when the teacher told him to face front and listen.

A warmth rose to your face as heads from all directions turned to look at you and Yoosung. Even though it was a small incident, the feeling of embarrassment creeps up your spine for the rest of the class period. For the next half hour, you couldn’t help but feel like everyone was staring at you and casting judgment your way, especially that kid behind you. You wondered if the two boys were still thinking about it, or if you were just overthinking the situation to death like you usually did.

When the bell finally rings, the tension built up in your body lessens and you try your best to toss on your backpack and exit the room as quickly as possible. You rush past Yoosung, who hasn’t even stood up yet.

“Hey!” You turn around without giving it a second thought, even though in the back of your mind you wish you hadn’t. Yoosung stands up and slides a navy blue Jansport backpack onto his shoulders before walking up to you. From behind him, the redhead exits from the other side of the row of desks, tapping Yoosung on his left shoulder while he passes to the right. You watch as the blond boy slowly turns in a full circle, searching for the culprit. He wears a genuinely confused expression that you find yourself smiling at. Yoosung reminds you of a lost puppy, and you can’t believe that a high school kid fell for such a juvenile prank. Facing you again, he gives up on finding whoever tapped his shoulder and walks toward you with a smile.

“I’d like to apologize for getting you in trouble during class.” The sincerity in Yoosung’s voice takes you by surprise. “Seven likes to joke around a lot…”

“That guy who was behind me? His name is Seven?” As the conversation picks up, the two of you begin to walk into the hallway together.

“Oh, yeah. We’re really good friends.” Yoosung wears a shy yet warm smile as the two of you walk and talk together. He makes conversation with you, asking why he’s never seen you around school before even though you’re a sophomore. You explain your situation to him, feeling yourself relax a bit. It’s nice to be able to open up, especially to someone as sweet as Yoosung.

Soon you’ve forgotten all about getting to your next class. You soak up the pleasant conversation by Yoosung’s side, looking up at him so that your eyes can meet while you talk. A few minutes later the bell forces you to accept the harsh reality of third period chemistry.

“Is your class close by?” Yoosung looks concerned.

“Um, yeah I think it’s close by.” You flash him a quick smile. Truthfully, you had no idea if your chemistry class was near where you and Yoosung ended up, but you didn’t want to admit that. The two of you part ways, and you begin searching for your chemistry classroom.

Thankfully, the class was relatively easy to find, considering all the science classes were on the same side of campus. You found yourself drifting off a lot throughout third period. You thought about Yoosung; hopefully the two of you had the same lunch period. If not, lunch would probably be pretty lonely for you, but you were no stranger to that. You considered the possibility of him already having a friend group to sit with during lunch. What if they didn’t like you? You try to shake all the negative thoughts and focus on the positive. Yoosung’s friends are probably all sweethearts, just like him. Right?

Third and fourth period pass quickly, and soon it’s lunch time. An anxious feeling rises to your throat when you walk into the cafeteria and find yourself enveloped in a sea of strangers, but you squash it before it can grow. With high hopes, you scan the room for a familiar head of golden blond hair. You spot him sitting at a long table by himself and let out a sigh of relief. Even though your interaction with Yoosung and Seven during second period had annoyed you, suddenly you're thankful that it happened.

“Is this seat taken?” You try your best to sound charming as you approach Yoosung’s table.

“Oh, hey!” The boy looks surprised at first, but his mouth spreads into a smile when he sees you standing over the table. He pats the empty seat next to him. “Of course not.”

A familiar sense of relaxation fills you at his invitation. The two of you get to talking, and you feel the anxiety built up from first day jitters leave your body with every word. After a few minutes of chatting with Yoosung, you notice two people approaching the table out of the corner of your eye. Yoosung stops what he’s saying to greet the newcomers, and you try to ignore your growing nerves and act casual. One of them you recognize as Seven, which makes you even more nervous since you and him got off to a rocky start. You’re still not sure if you like him yet or not. He came off as annoying in second period, but seems to have his own unique charm. You decide to rethink your opinion of Seven, since you aren’t in a position to pass up friends anyway. You’ve never seen the other person, though. It’s a girl, which surprises you for some reason. She has short, brown bob, and sitting on her nose are thin black glasses that give her a sensible look. The plain white t-shirt and high waisted shorts combo she wore was simple, but still cute. You could tell she was different from most girls you’ve met in high school; she struck you as more mature.

 Yoosung greets the duo with enthusiasm and introduces you to the girl.

“Jaehee! Meet the new kid!” Yoosung gestured towards you happily as they sit down across the table.

“Hi.” Jaehee smiles and waves politely at you. You return the wave and listen as the other three exchange stories about their classes so far. You keep quiet for the most part, curious to learn more about Yoosung’s friends. Jaehee complains about having homework on the first day of school, and mentions her hectic schedule. She confesses that she signed up for six AP classes for junior year and is already regretting it. Your eyes widen listening to Jaehee; she must be really smart. You look at Yoosung and Seven, who nonchalantly munch on their packed lunches. Jaehee’s rigorous schedule doesn’t seem to surprise them. It’s clear that they know her well enough to expect something like this. Once Jaehee finishes her grumbling, she slowly takes out a Tupperware bowl full of pasta, rests her head on her hand grumpily, and begins to eat.

“How have your classes been since second period, Seven?” Yoosung focuses the conversation on the redhead, who’s eaten nothing but chips since he sat down.

“I don’t really know. I’m sure they were probably great, though.” Seven smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“Huh?” Yoosung tilted his head. “How could you not know how your classes were?”

“Yoosung. Isn’t is obvious?” Jaehee speaks with an uninterested tone. Seven giggles, and you can tell that their reactions deepen Yoosung’s confusion. “Seven always cuts class in the computer lab in building F.” Instead of directing her explanation toward Yoosung, she looks as you when she speaks. 

“Should you really be skipping class on the first day?” you ask Seven, who seems taken aback by the way you suddenly decided to question his moral compass. Yoosung offers words of agreeance to back you up.

“Eh, nothing really ever happens on the first day anyway.” The way Seven speaks makes him sound like he’s constantly making a slick joke, and you get a feeling that having a serious conversation with him is going to be impossible. He’s not wrong about the first day of a new year being essentially useless, though. You laugh a little at Sevens antics. Yoosung tries his best to scold Seven, but the tone of his voice makes you think he knows it’s pointless to try to stop Seven from skipping. You get the feeling that Seven is the type of boy who’s going to do whatever he wants, no matter what anyone says. You find something admirable about freedom like that, you always have.

“Do you guys think Zen and Jumin have this lunch too?” Yoosung asks the two across the table. Zen and Jumin must also be part of this friend group. A small flower of excitement blooms in your chest. At first you felt nervous about meeting Yoosung’s friends, but you decide that you can see yourself becoming close to this group.

Seven responds, adjusting his glasses and looking especially proud of himself.

“Let’s just say…” he elbows Jaehee a little to try and get her attention away from her pasta and onto him.

“I know for a _fact_ they have this lunch.” As Seven says this, he points finger guns at you and winks.

You’re confused, but still smile at his silly gestures. As if on que, two boys approach the table.

“Fancy meeting you guys here,” one of them says wearing a toothy grin, and he puts his hands on his hips happily. You barely choke back a gasp when you look up at this boy. He was way too beautiful to be in high school… he looked more like the protagonist of a romantic comedy where all the “high schoolers” are played by 23-year-old actors. The combination of silver hair and pale skin made his deep crimson eyes look especially dramatic. He’s wearing a leather jacket over a grey V-neck shirt and dark jeans. He looks too good to be true. How is it possible that you have a chance to befriend someone so beautiful? Is this a dream? Should you pinch yourself to make sure?

Almost as if he read your mind, you feel Yoosung poke your arm softly. You’re suddenly aware of the fact that your mouth has been hanging open for the past few seconds. Embarrassed, you look down at the table, although you can feel Yoosung’s eyes on you, along with those of the other two who just arrived. Yoosung tells the two boys your name as they sit down. The silver haired boy introduces himself to you as Zen before sitting on the other side of Yoosung.

“Don’t feel too embarrassed,” he says to you with a smooth voice and a sweet smile. “My looks can be quite surprising.”

 While it seemed like he was trying to lessen the embarrassment of the moment, he missed the mark and came off quite narcissistic. You suppose it’s the thought that counts. The other boy who was with Zen, who you ignored the existence of until now, sat down next to Jaehee without even glancing your way. You’ve never seen any high schooler sit up as straight as this guy was right now. His jet black hair was gelled out of his face and we wore a light blue button down shirt with a grey tie and black slacks. He looked stuck up, and almost out of place at this table. He looked as if he didn’t really belong in public high school at all. From his bag, he pulls out a bento box stuffed with different food, all organized into little sections. Zen begins to talk about his day so far, with occasional interjections from Seven, Yoosung, and Jaehee. As Zen speaks, you notice that Jaehee’s mood has perked up from before, as if she has a deeper connection with him than she does with Yoosung and Seven.

“You’re welcome for this squad lunch schedule, by the way.” Seven talks loudly. Zen answers him with a sarcastic tang in his voice.

“What, did you hack into our schedules or something?” He’s the only one laughing at his own joke.

“Well, I didn’t skip third, fourth, and fifth period _just_ to play snake on the school computers.” Zen scolded him for cutting class, and Yoosung made a comment about how it’s pointless to try and reprimand Seven. From the following conversations, you deduct that Jumin is the name of the boy who sat next to Jaehee. You gather that Zen and Jumin are seniors this year from Seven teasing them about being the “big boys on campus.” Seven warns them not to get big heads, and to stay humble. Under his breath, Yoosung mumbles that it’s too late for Zen. You also pick up that Seven is a junior and Yoosung is a sophomore, like you. Maybe since you and Yoosung were the same year, you would have more classes together. By the way Jumin complains to Jaehee about his poorly made lunch, you wonder if they are related. They seem to bicker like siblings. Despite your curiosity, you’ve decided that staying quiet is in your best interest for today’s lunch period. You pick up on a few other things; Zen is in theater (Jaehee wouldn’t stop asking him about the upcoming musicals for this year), Yoosung plays a lot of video games, and Jumin is actually way richer than you thought.

The sound of the bell rings out over the cafeteria, and everyone at the table begins sluggishly putting their lunches away and getting up to go to class.

“I trust you’ll all be at the meeting today,” Jumin says to the group as he stands. Loud sighs escape from the mouths of the other four, and you can’t help but find their obvious despair over such a simple comment humorous. You wondered what these five could possibly hold a meeting about after the first day of school, though.

“But Jumin,” Yoosung drags out his words, whining. “Do we really have to start now? It’s the first freaking day.” Jumin nods solemnly.

“We must begin preparations immediately. I will provide you with accommodations home if necessary. I wish all of you a pleasant day.”

Yoosung pouts as Jumin walks away from the table.

“Geez…that guy.” Zen rolls his eyes and blows some stray hair out of his face with a short puff of air.

“I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ll see everyone later, then.” Jaehee seems to be handling Jumin’s demands better than the others. She turns to you before putting on her backpack. “It was nice to meet you, I hope to see you around.” She says good bye to Seven and Yoosung, and asks Zen to walk her to class. The two of them leave together, and you can still distantly hear Zen grumbling about Jumin as they walk away.

“I’ll catch you two later, stay out of trouble you crazy kids.” Seven tosses on his book bag and walks away, flashing you a thumbs up as he leaves.

Soon it’s only you and Yoosung left, and he asks to look at your schedule.

“Oh!” Did he find something?

“We have the same math for 5th period. Let’s walk together!” you smile and agree, feeling fortunate that you could stay in Yoosung’s company. During your walk to Algebra 2 together, you ask Yoosung to clarify some things that confused you during lunch. As it turns out, Jaehee and Jumin are step siblings. He also explains that Zen, Jaehee, and Jumin grew up in the same neighborhood and have been close friends since kindergarten.

“So…you and Seven?” Yoosung’s answers your question with a similar scenario. The two have been friends since they were children. In middle school, he explains, the five of them bonded in a French class they all ended up in together. Ever since then, their friend group has been inseparable. Your curiosity about the meeting resurfaced, and you decide to ask about that too. You watch the light go out of his eyes at the reminder of the after school meeting.

“Ugh… it’s the party planning committee Jumin sucked us into.”

“Doesn’t student council arrange dances and parties for the school?” You’re genuinely quite confused. It wasn’t really normal for a high school to have a club that plans parties.

“Jumin is too picky,” Yoosung says with a tinge of resentment in his voice. “I thought this committee was gonna be fun, but now he’s already making us work…”

Yoosung’s head hangs low and he lets out another distressed sigh, staring at the ground. There’s something oddly adorable about the way Yoosung pouts. You raise your hand to his blonde hair and scruff it up a little, like the way someone would pat a dog on the head. He turns his face to you with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open a little. His expression makes your smile grow even larger.

“Cheer up, Yoosung!” You flash the brightest smile you can, in hopes that Yoosung will find your sudden gesture charming as opposed to evasive. When he smiles back at you, a warm feeling floods your chest. You can see his cheeks turn red, though he’s trying to hide it.

The two of you choose desks next to each other for Algebra, and every once in a while you can barely see him glancing at you. You and Yoosung are forced to part ways after 5th period, but he wishes you a good day and happily promises to see you tomorrow.

Next is French 3. The classroom is close by, so you arrive fairly early allowing for a wide variety in seating options. You choose a seat in the back of the room and scroll through your twitter feed waiting for class to start. About a minute later, someone sits down next to you. It’s Jaehee.

“You’re taking French three as a sophomore?” Jaehee turns toward you, and you close your phone and shove it in your back pocket to answer her.

“I started French when I was in middle school.” Jaehee nods in response, and tells you that this class is one of her few breaks from her AP schedule during the day. You express condolences for the loss of her social life. Jaehee smiles, and her previously tensed up shoulders drop. You’re happy to see Jaehee relax a little, and think about the possibility of getting closer to her and seeing her more playful side one day.

Once class starts the two of you don’t talk much. Sixth period passes quickly, and after the bell rings you and Jaehee exchange goodbyes before leaving the room. Seventh period graphic arts was a far walk, and while you wanted to talk to Jaehee more you decided to prioritize getting to class.

Seventh period was in a big room full of computers. Your last class was uncharacteristically uneventful, but you didn’t mind the quiet after today. Once the final bell of the day rings, it’s time to catch the bus home. When you grab a seat toward the back of the bus, you put in your headphones and look out the window, watching students pass by as you wait.

When the bus pulls out of the parking lot, you reflect on the events of today. You think about Yoosung, Zen, Jaehee, Seven, and Jumin. Picturing them all in a room trying to plan a party that’s months away makes you smile. Their dynamic is unique, but also warm and pleasant. You find yourself hoping that they will accept you into their group. Maybe then you can all make memories together. Since your mother promised this new home would be permanent, you were excited about the opportunity to grow close to people without fearing the day you would have to move away.

You look out the window and watch trees and houses flash by. Excitement grows the more you think about the coming year. You want to make memories with these five. You want to eat lunch with them every day and listen to their silly bickering. You want to laugh with them and hang out with them. Your mouth curls into a small, delicate smile thinking about it.

This is going to be a great year full of fun adventures. You can feel it.


	2. One Of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you become One Of Them™

A headache throbbed at your temples as you examined the worksheet before you. It’s only the second Monday of the school year and your astronomy teacher already expects you to successfully calculate the orbital velocity of planets from their mass and gravity or something. You curse your short attention span, but the confusing-looking worksheet still tortures you from the desk. All you can do is stare blankly at the numbers and letters and wait impatiently while your teacher finishes passing out the problems. When he stands at the front of the room again, his words catch your attention.

“I’m allowing you all to work in partners for this assignment.”

You let out a sigh of pure relief. Thank goodness, you don’t have to suffer alone! You reach out and tap the boy in front of you a few times on the shoulder. He whips around and puts an elbow on your desk, resting his head in his hand.

“What’s up?” Yoosung says with a smile. He leans forward slightly so that his soft violet eyes are level with yours. You and Yoosung have talked every day since the beginning of the school year one week ago, but have yet to work together. Hopefully he is more attentive in class than you.

“Wanna help me out with this stuff?” You hold up the worksheet and use it to cover your mouth, eyebrows raised. Yoosung’s face brightens up; not what you expected from him.

“Of course!” He grabs his worksheet and places it on your desk.

“Normally Seven is the expert when it comes to numbers and stuff…” A solemn expression grows on Yoosung’s face as he speaks. “But since he’s not here, I’m glad I get to help you” He looks up at you again, his smile returned, and you find it impossible not to smile back. Yoosung stands and grabs Seven’s empty desk, sliding it next to yours. He was right, Seven didn’t come to class today. He kind of...never came to class. You’ve yet to see him show up to astronomy more than three times since the year began, but every day he’s at lunch with everyone. Curiosity grows in your mind, and you begin to think of Seven as mysterious. Almost immediately, you realize how ridiculous of a notion that is. How can you view someone who eats chips and soda exclusively every day for lunch as mysterious? When Yoosung sits down next to you and retrieves his worksheet from your desk, all your thoughts of Seven quickly fade. Focus. You have to give your full attention to Yoosung and these equations.

For the remainder of the class period, you join forces with Yoosung to complete the worksheet. Of course, Yoosung does most of the heavy lifting, seeing as you aren’t on your astronomy A-game today. When the bell rings, you wait patiently for Yoosung to rearrange the desks before the two of you proudly submit your worksheets to a basket on the table at the front of the classroom.

“Thanks for all your help today.” You scruff up Yoosung’s hair as you thank him. Ever since you played with his hair on the first day of school, it’s kind of become a thing between the two of you.

“Anytime!” Yoosung says through playfully gritted teeth and exacts his revenge by messing up your hair as well. You try to push his hands away, but fail miserably. You shoot him the angriest look you can muster, but as soon as his eyes land on your fake angry face laughter erupts from his throat. Your façade shatters immediately at the sound of his laugh. You’ve never heard him laugh this loudly, and it’s actually really cute. A few soft giggles fall from your lips as you attempt to fix your hair.

“See you at lunch, dork.” Yoosung’s words are twisted by laughter as he waves and parts ways with you.

Third and fourth period pass quickly and just like that, its lunch time already. You let out a groan of distress on your way to the cafeteria; there’s no food in your backpack today. This wasn’t the first time packing a lunch slipped your mind in the morning. You wished desperately for something to appease your growling stomach.

Today you’re the last of everyone at your lunch table to arrive, and they all give you a quick greeting as you sit next to Yoosung before returning to their conversations. Taking out your phone to check your messages, two different discussions reach your ears. One was an argument between Seven and Jumin about someone that Seven referred to as “Elly.” He talks about Elly with a certain emotional timbre in his voice, different from the way he usually speaks. If Elly is someone important to Seven, why does Jumin fight him so hard about visiting her? You wonder if Elly is Jumin’s sister, like Jaehee. But why haven’t you seen her around school? You can’t help but wonder if Seven and Elly have some sort of forbidden love, like Romeo and Juliet.

You decide to shift your attention to the conversation between Zen, Jaehee, and Yoosung. From what you can pick out over Seven and Jumin’s shouting match, Jaehee and Zen are ganging up on Yoosung.

“You should really focus on your studies more.” Jaehee’s tone is cold and unforgiving as she reprimands the boy next to you.

“Yeah,” As Zen jumps in, he points his fork accusingly at Yoosung from across the table. “All that gaming makes you too frigid.”

Yoosung opens his mouth to retaliate, but instead all that can be heard is a sigh of defeat.

“You guys are too harsh…” he pouts, resting his head in his hand and looking down sullenly. When Yoosung’s gaze drifts from his food to the phone in your hands, his brows scrunch together.

“Where’s your lunch?” At the sound of Yoosung’s voice, you raise your head to see his stern but worried expression.

“Oh…I forgot bring one today.” You move your phone to the back pocket of your jeans as you speak. Instead of responding verbally, Yoosung silently brings his backpack from the floor into his lap and unzips it to pull out a Tupperware container stuffed with rice, chicken, and vegetables, as well as a fork. He places the bowl in front of you and pulls the lid off.

“I noticed you’re kind of flaky when it comes to bringing lunch,” His hands slowly zip his backpack closed, but he never breaks eye contact with you, “so I made you something just in case you didn’t have food today.”

Without skipping a beat, you tackle Yoosung with a tight hug and thank him. You’ve decided it’s the only way to properly express how grateful you are to Yoosung for rescuing you from starvation.

“Hey…!” A small sound of resistance escapes from Yoosung, but after a second you feel his shoulders shaking with laughter as he wraps his arms around you in return. The hug is a little awkward since the two of you are sitting next to each other, but sweet and warm nonetheless. Yoosung gives you a tight squeeze before letting go, still laughing a little. “The ‘thank you’ by itself would have been plenty.”

Despite Yoosung’s joking words, you know the hug was a necessity. Still smiling, you grab the fork and dig in. The meal is delicious, and you request that Yoosung give your compliments to the chef.

When lunch is finished, Zen addresses everyone at the table before leaving. He announces that he will be unable to attend the party planning committee’s usual Monday meeting today because the director of the theater program wants to discuss casting for the upcoming musical.

“Unacceptable.” Jumin interrupts Zen before he can finish his explanation. “We’ll simply push the meeting back one hour. Zen, please give more notice next time you plan on being late or you’ll end up inconveniencing everyone again.” Jumin then waves to the table and leaves. Zen’s hands clench into fists as Jumin turns away but Jaehee grabs his arm, reminding him to stay calm. Zen takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and apologizes for making everyone wait for him before heading to class.

“Crap…” Yoosung buries his face in his palms. “Now I’ll be stuck at school for an hour.”

Yoosung can’t drive yet, he’s only a sophomore like you. Seven and Jaehee can take their cars home between the end of school and the meeting, but Yoosung has to stay here if he can’t catch the bus home.

“Have no fear, my unlicensed friend!” Seven slams his hands on the table and pushes himself up. “I’ll take you out for milkshakes to pass the time. Why don’t you join us, Jaehee?” She agrees to tag along, and promises to see them both after school before leaving the cafeteria.

“Hey!” Seven enthusiastically calls out to you, catching you off guard a bit. “Wanna grab shakes with us? It’s my treat.” His words escape through a wide smile as per usual, and his brows are raised in anticipation for your answer.

You decide it sounds like fun, and say yes. Seven lets out a loud whoop of excitement before telling you to meet them at the front of the school after seventh period. Yoosung seems happy that you’ll be joining them too, and cheers as well.

The remainder of your classes are filled with daydreaming. Your mind drifts to the land of after-school where you, Seven, Yoosung, and Jaehee happily sip milkshakes in a retro-looking diner and laugh at all of Seven’s ridiculous jokes. Picturing the scene brings a smile to your face, and a warm feeling fills your chest. You have a good feeling that this will be the first of many outings you join this ragtag group on. The thought brings a smile to your face.

Soon enough, the moment you’ve long awaited is here; the normally obnoxious ring of the last bell is now music to your ears. You meet up with the other three at the front of the school just like Seven told you, and he proudly leads you, Yoosung, and Jaehee to where his car was parked. The whole walk there, Seven talks your ear off about how “stoked” he is for you to meet his “baby.” You laugh, assuming his fondness for his car was an exaggerated joke. It wasn’t, though.

“Baby! I Missed you!” When Seven’s car comes into view, he cuts into a sprint. Your eyes land on what Seven is running toward, and your jaw drops to the floor. It’s a sleek, shiny sports car with a jet black paint job and a convertible-style top. You were expecting this dork to drive a station wagon or something, not a car that looks like it was driven off the James Bond movie set. You were too shell-shocked to notice that his baby only had two seats. When you, Jaehee, and Yoosung catch up to Seven, he’s leaning with his back against the sports car, looking cool as ever.

“Oh, this old thing? It’s just my 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata,” Seven brags nonchalantly.  Without letting him say anything else, Jaehee swiftly flicks Seven on the head. 

“You idiot!” Her bitter tone takes your attention away from the car, and you look up to watch Seven rub his forehead and grit his teeth in pain. “Why did you offer to take us out if we can’t even fit in the car?” You hear a sigh of despair come from Yoosung, who stands beside you, while Jaehee continues to reprimand the redhead.

The four of you end up squishing into Seven’s Mazda, despite Jaehee’s protest. You’re stuck between Yoosung and the car door, and Jaehee’s obvious animosity toward the situation makes everything more awkward. For the icing on this uncomfortable cake, Seven is a terrible driver, and Jaehee’s enraged back seat driving isn’t helping the situation as much as she thinks it is. Thankfully the diner was only about ten minutes away, though you feel like the trip lasted hours. As Seven pulls into a parking space, you and Yoosung practically throw yourselves out of the car before he can even finish parking.

The four of you walk into the diner and search for an open table. Jaehee picks out a booth, so you slide in next to her. Seven and Yoosung sit across from you two, which prompts Seven to playfully stretch his arm out over Yoosung’s shoulders despite the blonde’s clear discomfort. You all start to talk about the events of the day; Yoosung brags that he rescued you in astronomy, Jaehee groans, saying she’s already drowning in assignments, and Seven complains about fixing countless teachers’ computers even though it’s just the second week. The conversation is interrupted by the waiter, who stops by to take everyone’s orders. As they walk away from the table, Jaehee mentions the upcoming meeting.

“Jumin has already given us so much work…” Yoosung and Seven both nod in agreement, looking down at the table solemnly.

“He’s being so picky this year,” Yoosung pouts. “I’m afraid of leaving todays meetings with even more responsibilities…”

Hearing them talk about the party planning committee is a rare occurrence, so the mention of it sparks your interest.

“What are you guys planning?” You ask, voice laced with genuine curiosity.

“Homecoming,” Seven groans, his gaze still fixed on the table.

Homecoming? How could they be drowning in preparations for a dance that’s still months away? The three continue their complaints until the waiter returns with milkshakes. A silence falls over the previously grumbling trio as everyone sips their drinks. Without warning, Seven slams his hands on the table and rips his head away from his milkshake.

“You can help us!” Seven’s outburst catches you by surprise, almost causing you to choke. Yoosung and Jaehee stop drinking and the whole table glues their eyes to you, awaiting your response with baited breath. Obviously they needed help, but being in a committee sounds like a lot of extra work. Joining would help you get closer to all your new friends, though. You agree to sit in on the meeting, just for today at least.

“I’ll come today, but-“ Before you can even finish speaking, cheers of delight come from the other three sitting around you. Their extreme excitement over such a simple thing makes you laugh. After that, the atmosphere between you became significantly lighter.

After about twenty more minutes of talking and sipping milkshakes, the time comes for the four of you to squish back into Sevens fancy car like sardines. This time when Jaehee yells about Sevens driving she adds that their workload will never get lighter if he kills the new member. Everyone laughs except for Jaehee, who’s too preoccupied with surviving the car ride to find the humor in her comment.

Back at school, the four of you walk into the club’s meeting room to see six chairs arranged in a circle. Jumin and Zen are sitting on opposite sides of the circle, paying more attention to their phones than each other.

“Look who we brought!” Seven gestures toward you to get their attention. Zen’s face lights up when he sees you, but Jumin seems unimpressed and goes back to typing on his phone. You try not to feel offended by his apathy, and greet them with a small wave. You, Yoosung, Seven, and Jaehee fill in the empty seats of the circle.

Jumin places his phone in his pocket and stands to begin the meeting.

“Since we have a newcomer, I suppose I should start by giving some background on this committee.” Jumin speaks as if he’s addressing two hundred people, as opposed to six.

“This group was originally created by Rika and V, our friends who graduated last year. They felt as if parties planned by the student council were inadequate, so they started this committee to provide our school with elegant, sophisticated events that could be fun for everyone. Our friend group joined two years ago, and now we’re all that’s left.”

A gloomy air filled the room as Jumin spoke. You could tell that these people really miss their friends, Rika and V. At that moment, you make up your mind to do whatever possible to help the people sitting around you. You want to support them and plan wonderful parties that the whole school could be proud of. Jumin continued to explain the committee in greater detail; he discusses everyone’s individual roles. Yoosung hired catering, Jaehee had to book a venue and design tickets, Zen took care of the photographer and decorations, Seven handled everything DJ related, and Jumin hired a group to check tickets on the actual night of the party, as well as splitting decorating responsibilities with Zen. Listening to Jumin talk about all the necessary preparations helped you understand why everyone is so stressed about this dance.

“So, how about it?” Jumin walks toward you and kneels down so that his eyes are level with yours, catching you by surprise. This is the closest you two have ever been. “Will you join the party planning committee?”

“Yea, it sounds like fun.” You’re a bit flustered, but you’ve made up your mind to join them.

“One of us! One of us!” Seven starts to chant, and Yoosung joins. You and Zen start laughing at their ridiculous shenanigans, but Jumin quickly ends it so he can “continue the meeting as planned.”

Your official role in the committee is someone that the others can give extra work to when they feel overwhelmed. Since this position allows you to do a variety of work for the party, you’re content with this job for now. As the meeting comes to an end, Yoosung speaks up about needing a ride home, reminding you of your similar situation. Jaehee offers to take you and Yoosung home since the two of you live close to her. Everyone says their goodbyes, and you, Yoosung, and Jaehee go to her car together. Her car is far better suited for a high school student than Seven’s. You sit in the front seat with Jaehee since Yoosung was getting dropped off first.

Once you and Jaehee are the only two in the car, you search your mind for potential conversation topics. Zen and her talked a lot about the school’s first musical of the year at lunch, so you go with that.

“Jaehee,” She doesn’t turn her head away from the road to look at you, but still seems attentive. “What’s your favorite musical?”

Jaehee’s response is immediate, as if she’s waited a lifetime for someone to ask her that.

“It’s one the school did last year; Zen’s performance was incredible.” She continued to express her love for the musical, and Zen in the musical, with what seemed like no intention of ever stopping. You weren’t expecting this from Jaehee; she’s totally fangirling. Sophisticated, uptight Jaehee has fallen prey to Zen’s perfection. You decide to interrupt her rant with another question.

“Jaehee, do you like Zen?” When you say this, Jaehee goes silent for a moment. You get the feeling she’s choosing her next words with great care.

“Zen and I have been close for a long time” Her tone was slightly somber. “I have always supported him, even when everyone around him told him to give up acting.’ Jaehee pauses again. “I don’t like Zen…I’m more like his biggest fan.”

She smiles, but there’s a lingering sadness in her expression. You have a sneaking suspicion that she’s hiding something, but return the smile anyway. You’re just glad she opened up to you a little.

Jaehee drops you off and thanks you for joining the committee.

\---------------------

“Oh my god.” You stare in horror at the worksheet on your desk; the same one you and Yoosung completed together yesterday. A big red “D-“ at the top of the page burns a hole into your head. In utter despair, you fold both arms onto your desk and burry your head down into them. How could this happen?

You hear Yoosung turning around, and his voice reaches your ears.

“I’m so sorry, I thought I knew what I was talking about…” He probably just got his worksheet back with the same awful grade. You keep your head buried and respond to Yoosung with muffled words.

“It’s fine.”

Yoosung pats your head apologetically and turns to face the front of the room. You aren’t upset with Yoosung at all, just frustrated with yourself for neglecting to learn the material in the first place. You think about how Seven could have helped, if only he ever showed up. Maybe if you find Seven, he can explain this astronomical gibberish to you.

You decide to skip third period to seek out Seven. Yoosung said Seven’s good with numbers, and you hate admitting it but you really need help. Thanks to something Jaehee mentioned on the first day of school, you know exactly where to find Seven.

“F-112 Computer Lab.” You read out the white lettering on a grey plaque and nodded to yourself. He’s probably in there…he has to be. A few minutes have passed since the late bell for third period rang, so the hallway’s completely empty. You hold your breath and put your hand on the door handle, slowly pushing the door open.

“Seven?” You call out to him and poke your head into the room. Inside are six long tables, three on each side of the room. Sitting on top are big chunky desktop computers, about four per table. It’s a dull-looking room aside from the boy sitting at a table near the back. He looks up from the computer in his lap, bright eyes locking with yours. When he sees you standing in the doorway he closes his laptop and slides it into his backpack. The boy rises, walks to the front of the room, and bows extravagantly in your direction. You’re confused by the gesture, but close the door behind you and take a few steps toward him anyway.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Seven says mid bow before straightening up again. Your inability to understand anything Seven ever does gets the best of you.

“Are you surprised to see me? Aren’t you going to scold me for cutting class?” Despite the hostility in your voice, Seven’s mouth broadens into a wide grin.

“I’m just glad to have some company! The life of a hacker can get kind of lonely.” Seven’s smile twists into something more sinister, and he moves in closer to you. “Were you hoping I’d scold you…?”

Your face heats up with either anger or embarrassment, or maybe both, and you push Seven away. For a few seconds your brain is too scrambled to form words, so you just stare daggers into Seven, who is doubled over in laughter at his own joke.

“Don’t put words in my mouth, weirdo!” You stomp your foot to try and get him to stop laughing and pay attention to you. After standing to compose himself, Seven apologizes.

“Sorry, you know I’m just joking around.” His voice cracks with laughter, and he wipes a tear out of his eye.

“I didn’t come here to joke around or keep you company. I came because I need your help.” You try to talk with a stern, unwavering voice. Seven puffs up his chest, as if hearing “I need your help” gave him strength.

“Anything! The Defender of Justice 707 is always ready to help those in need!”

“Does the Defender of Justice know how to use the formula for orbital velocity?” You pull your backpack across the front of your body and take out the wretched worksheet, showing him the atrocious grade. A feeling of embarrassment takes over, preventing you from looking directly at Seven as you hold up the paper. His expression softens into something more genuine, and he gestures to the nearest table.

“Of course. Let’s sit down and I’ll help you out.”

For the next half hour Seven reviews the problems with you, explaining the solutions in detail. He remains patient through all your questions, even when they get repetitive. He uses silly analogies to explain the concepts to you, comparing planets to big cats and their orbits to strings coming off balls of yarn. When all the problems have been fully revised, you thank Seven for his help.

“It’s no trouble. As the Defender of Justice, I have certain duties.” You look away from him for a moment to giggle, and when your eyes meet again you notice something. The smile Seven wears now is different from his usual silly grin. His expression is more tender in a way; his golden eyes are still bright underneath his glasses, but somehow softer. Looking at him now, you play with the idea that Seven is just a big softie. You smile back at the dorky redhead, and as if he realized you were beginning to see through his façade, he clears his throat and tries to change the subject.

“Wanna see something super cool?” Seven’s demeanor switches from gentle to excitable in a heartbeat.

You’re confused by the way he changed so suddenly, but decide to play along.

“Sure.”

Seven abruptly grabs your hand, lacing your fingers together. He then proceeds to pull you to the back of the room, like a little kid dragging his parent around a toy store. The two of you stop in front of what looks like a storage closet, and he simultaneously places one hand on the door handle and releases you with the other.

“Ta-da!” Seven swings the door open triumphantly and gestures with wide arms to the contents of the closet. Inside are three big monitors sitting on a table pushed up against the side wall. Two oversized keyboards take up the only empty space left on the table, and one lone fold-up chair stands in the middle of the small, cramped space. It’s amazing that a grand arrangement like this was hidden away in a humble storage closet. He gives you a boastful tour of the little room, talking all about how he smuggled the equipment in and installed it himself.

“This is where I spend most of my time when I cut class,” He declares proudly. “Thankfully when you came in I was just playing around on my laptop.”

The room is dark and cluttered, so it’s concerning that Seven spends hours a week in here.

“You shouldn’t stare at computer screens too much. You could damage your eyesight.”

…Oops. You intended to sound considerate and caring for Seven’s health, but instead you probably just came off as idiotic. Before you can correct yourself, Seven pounces on the opportunity to exploit your blunder.

Channeling his inner actor, Seven takes off his glasses as dramatically as humanly possible. He puts the end piece in his mouth and looks at you with an overly-terrified expression.

“You’re not saying…” Seven starts, and you cross your arms, waiting for him to finish teasing you. “I’d have to get _glasses_?”

“Yea, you would. And then you’d look like a dork!” You stick your tongue out at him, making a sour face. In response, Seven puts his glasses back on and grips his heart, eyes closed and teeth gritted.

“You cut me real deep.”

Finally, the act becomes too tasking, and you let out a few giggles. A harsh blare suddenly fills the room, covering the sound of your laughter. You weigh the pros and cons of skipping fourth period, but ultimately decide missing two classes in one day might do more harm than good. You ask Seven to walk you to class but he politely declines, claiming that leaving the sanctuary of room F-112 could have serious repercussions. The smile stays on your face as you leave, despite the rejection. You wave farewell to the hopeless hacker boy and return to the bustling hallway.

The rest of your day seems to take an eternity, until at last you only have one class left. For you, it’s graphic arts. Thankfully that’s a relatively stress-free period; you mostly just spend the hour experimenting with Photoshop. Your teacher always spends the period reading at his desk in the front of the room, not paying much attention to the students.

A few minutes after class has started you hear someone enter the room. You ignore the latecomer, eyes glued to the computer screen in front of you. It’s not until you hear the person’s voice that your gaze shifts away from Photoshop.

“Mr. Kwon, we’re having trouble with some of the stage mechanics.”

You recognize Zen’s silky voice immediately. He addressed your graphic arts teacher, who doubled as tech help for the theater program. Looking at Zen now, you remember that he wasn’t at lunch today. Has he been working with the theater all day? Preparations for the musical must keep him really busy.  Zen continues explaining his difficulties to your teacher, and Mr. Kwon gives a detailed explanation on how to fix everything, saying he can’t leave his class to deal with it at the moment. Zen seems agitated that he can’t get direst assistance.

Zen looks around the room exasperatedly, and his eyes land on you. You can almost see the lightbulb over his head.

“If you won’t help me, can I borrow someone who will? I’m not good with this stuff.” Zen puts his hands on his hips. Mr. Kwon nods and waves dismissively, as if he’s only agreeing just to make Zen happy so he’ll leave. Zen motions for you to come toward him. You stand hesitantly, a bit confused by the situation. You didn’t know anything about technical theater and definitely couldn’t help Zen, but he continues to beckon you, smiling. Zen holds the door open for you as the two of you exit into the vacant hallway.

“Zen…I don’t think I can help you.” You push some loose hair behind your ear.

To your surprise, Zen starts to laugh.

“I know that! But you looked so terribly bored, I had to rescue you” Zen winks at you, charisma practically oozing from his pores. “Besides, now I can show you what I’ve been up to all day.”

For the remainder of the school day, Zen takes you on a grand tour of the theater department. He shows you the stage and all of its parts, the tech booth in the back of the auditorium, and all the backstage areas. He talks about the toils of being in theater; painting and building countless sets and props, long hours of rehearsals, followed by nights spent sleeping backstage. You find everything Zen says incredibly captivating; his enchanting voice and gentle manner make you wish the tour would last forever. Although, it was surprising to learn how much _work_ being an actor really was. The last place Zen shows you is the catwalk. The two of you stand high above the stage together, looking down and the auditorium from a dark walkway. You and Zen are alone, so you seize the opportunity to learn more about him.

“How long have you been acting?”

Zen’s expression becomes pensive, thinking hard for a few seconds before answering.

“I’ve had a passion for acting since middle school.” He pauses again before continuing.

“My parents didn’t approve, though, so I ran away in eighth grade. I live with my uncle now.” Zen was looking down before, but now his red eyes stare directly into yours.

“Not a lot of people know that about me, but I get the feeling we’re going to become really close” A faint smile creeps onto Zen’s face, melting your heart. Hearing Zen say that made you feel warm. You wanted to know everything about Zen someday, and you wanted to support him where his parents didn’t.

The last bell rings, and for the first time ever your heart sinks at the sound. Almost as if he sensed your sorrow from having to part with him, Zen offers to give you a ride home. You happily accept his offer, and the two of you come down from the catwalk and head to the parking lot together.

In the parking lot you and Zen found yourselves dodging multiple teenage drivers who haphazardly zoomed off campus. Zen boldly walked in front of one car, grabbing your hand as he bitterly mutters that juniors make shitty drivers. As the car passes behind you, a familiar face catches your eye amongst the traffic.

“Jumin!” You turn away from Zen and wave to get Jumin’s attention.

“Geez, of course _he’s_ here right now.” Zen spits out his words like venom. You found his spiteful tone to be a bit overdramatic, seeing how most seniors are here after school, in the parking lot, looking for their cars just like you and Zen were a second ago. Despite his obvious detest for Jumin being anywhere within twenty feet of him, Zen stays put while Jumin approaches. He walks up to the two of you, but ignores the silver haired boy right next to you as he begins to speak.

“I would not normally approach you in the parking lot like this,” Jumin pushes his hair back. “But I simply cannot let this man drive you home. His driving might kill the both of you.”

A thick tension forms between the two boys, though Jumin still hasn’t even glanced in Zen’s direction. Out of the corner of your eye you see Zen’s pale hands clench into fists. He opens his mouth to speak, but Jumin starts again before Zen can get a word in.

“I would hate to hear that you were injured and know I could have stopped it.”

Jumin seems like he’s trying to do something out of kindness, but everything about him still feels apathetic. You feel flattered, but would still rather have Zen take you home. Besides, he can’t possibly be any worse at driving than Seven, right?

“Thank you for the offer, Jumin, but I’ve already promised Zen he could take me home.” You notice a smug look on Zen’s face, as if to say he’s won.

“What a shame,” Jumin continues to neglect Zen’s existence. “I admit, the limousine feels lonesome at times. I requested my father send the Corvette today for that reason, but he never listens.” Jumin rubs the bridge of his nose with discontent.

“Limo?” You consult Zen to make sure you’d heard correctly.

“Pathetic! You can’t even drive yourself to school.” Zen gives his insult an extra bite, attempting to get a rise out of Jumin. You’re too busy thinking about the limo to register Zen’s comeback.  Truthfully, you wanted Zen to drive you home, but you would never forgive yourself for passing up a limo ride. You turn to Zen and run your fingers through your hair nervously.

“Um…Zen…” How can you express your feelings without coming off as rude? Whether Jumin is there or not, a limo is a limo, and you want to ride home in a limo. Zen watches you clumsily stumble over your words for a few seconds before realizing what you’re trying to say.

“Alright, you can take the limo home.” He’s adopted a humorously parental tone, and smiles warmly. “But promise me I can give you a lift next time.” Zen bends down slightly to meet your gaze and holds out his pinky. You nod and seal the promise by locking your pinky finger with his. As Zen leaves he waves to you, but of course doesn’t bother saying goodbye to Jumin.

Jumin leads you to the bus loop, where a stretch limo is parked and waiting. The driver opens the door, and you follow Jumin into the luxurious limousine. An uncomfortable silence quickly envelops the backseat as the limo slowly rolls off campus. Honestly, you’re not sure how to make conversation with him. The only thing you’ve ever heard him do at lunch is complain or talk about the committee. You rack your brain for possible topics, desperate to liven up the dead air between you two. Then it hits you.

“So…” You initiate awkwardly. “Who’s Elly? If you don’t mind me asking.” This would be a good thing to ask him about, you thought, since Elly was the only person Jumin seemed to have an emotional attachment to.

“Elizabeth 3rd…” Jumin leans forward. “Is the most beautiful being on the planet. I consider her my life partner.”

“Elly is your girlfriend?” Your head tilts slightly in confusion. High school boys don’t refer to their girlfriends as “my life partner.”

“She is not my girlfriend. Elizabeth is my princess.” Nothing is made more clear to you by Jumin’s answer. Instead, your confusion is deepened. She’s his life partner, but they aren’t dating. Yet he still calls her his princess? You give up on trying to understand Jumin’s relationship with Elly and move on to something else.

“Why don’t you let Seven see her?”

Jumin snaps his head toward you and answers firmly.

“Seven says he loves Elizabeth, but he is abusive. I am considering getting a restraining order.”

Jumin’s words shocked you. Seven is…abusive? You find it nearly impossible to believe the dork who compared planets to cats earlier today is capable of hurting anyone. Without thinking, you question the accusation.

“How did Seven hurt her?”

Jumin’s agitation grows as he relays details of Sevens abusive behavior.

“I have security footage of him biting her neck, squeezing her in his arms, twirling around with her. He says it’s how he shows love, but it’s simply sick, twisted animal abuse. Nothing else.”

 _Animal abuse?_ Oh no. You smack your forehead with your palm and Jumin starts talking again.

“No cat deserves that, especially not my Elizabeth.”

Elly is a _cat._ Jumin and Seven almost got into a fist fight over a _cat._ He’s going to file a restraining order for his _cat._ Jumin’s princess, life partner, the most beautiful being he’s even seen. She’s a _cat._ Instead of feeling surprised, you’re just disappointed that you didn’t figure it out sooner. With this group, expect the unexpected. Of course Elly’s a cat.

You decide to keep your mouth shut until you’re home and have to thank Jumin for the ride.

As you walk up the driveway, your head shakes at all the ridiculous things you’ve had to endure for the past two days. One thing is for sure; each one of your new friends is special in their own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you cut me deep haru
> 
> come to room F-112 if you want an ass kicking
> 
> anyways thanks for reading this long ass chapter. who's ready for SPIRIT WEEK


	3. So It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spirit Week part 1

“So, who’s ready for spirit week?!” Seven asks in a loud voice, slamming his hands on the table before sitting down next to you. It’s been a couple months since school started, but spirit week totally slipped your mind. As a freshman, you had decided not to participate. You didn’t even know what the themes were for the week, and it was already Friday.

“Shouldn’t we be focusing more on the homecoming dance?” Jaehee takes a break from eating to respond to Seven from across the table.

“Jaehee, please. I understand your concern, but if you undermine the importance of spirit week again I don’t think we can be friends anymore.” Seven folds his hands together, his expression almost grave. “Besides, I got the hoco sitch all under control” He smiles again, winking at Jaehee

She just rolls her eyes, stabbing into her Tupperware container with a fork.

“I know Seven’s being dramatic, but spirit week is so much fun!” Yoosung chimes in as Seven’s backup. He talks about seeing everyone in their costumes, the pep rally, and the homecoming game. Usually the only regulars at the football games are Seven, Yoosung, and Zen, but for homecoming week they manage to drag Jaehee and Jumin out there too.

“Will you come with us?” Yoosung turns to look at you. Sports aren’t really your thing, but since Jumin and Jaehee are going, you figure it’ll be a lot of fun.

“Sure!” You answer Yoosung with a bright smile, which he returns. He continues to express excitement for spirit week, with Seven chiming in regularly. You admit that you don’t know the themes for the week, and Seven tells you not to fear rummaging through his backpack. He pulls out a colorfully decorated paper that reads “SPIRIT WEEK 2016-2017” at the top in thick grey and gold letters. You thank him and read over the schedule.

_Monday: Dress like an animal!_

_Tuesday: Decades day!_

_Wednesday: Holi-day!_

_Thursday: Class day!_

_Friday: SPIRIT DAY!_

The overall theme for each day is separated into sub categories according to grade. Seven attempts to talk to Jaehee about her outfits for the upcoming week, but as per usual she remains unresponsive despite his pestering. You ask Yoosung for some tips, since this will be your first time participating in spirit week. Zen tries to give you advice too, telling you all sorts of do’s and don’ts of spirit week.

When the bell dismisses everyone from lunch, you and Yoosung walk to class together and continue making plans for spirit week. The more you two talk, the more excited you become.

You spend the whole weekend planning your outfits out, texting Yoosung and Seven on occasion to ask if what you’re wearing looks good.

When Monday morning comes you set your alarm extra early to get ready for the day, your excitement for the event allowing you to wake up on time. Today was “dress like an animal day”; for sophomores, that animal was a dog. You clip a pair of puppy ears into your hair, ruffling it up a bit to make yourself look scruffy. For the rest of your outfit, you just wore a brown t-shirt and denim shorts. It was a simple outfit, but still cute. You toss your backpack across your shoulder and head to the bus stop.

You looked forward to second period with Yoosung. Since Yoosung was an actual puppy anyway, you were expecting him to look even more adorable than usual. Peppy music streams through your earbuds as you walk through the halls. You take in all the sights of spirit week: excited friends taking pictures together, and students dress in silly and cute outfits.

When you walk into astronomy today, Yoosung is already at his desk. His expression brightens as you enter the room, and you can almost see a tail wagging. The dog ears on his head resemble a yellow lab’s, and around his neck is a green dog collar covered in tiny white paw prints.

“Good morning!” Yoosung makes his fists into little paws around his face as he greets you, as if he knows how well the puppy look suits him.

You tell him good morning and scruff his shaggy blond hair up a little as you sit down. Jokingly, you compliment Yoosung’s collar, saying you never have to worry about him wondering off again. Yoosung blushes, but before he can retaliate, something happens that no one could have predicted.

“Howdy!” Seven appears in the doorway. _Seven came to class_. The juniors had to dress as bunnies for animal day, and Seven was, of course, no exception. On his head where red bunny ears that matched his hair perfectly, one standing straight up and one bent downward slightly. The tip of his nose was colored black, and skinny whiskers were drawn on his cheeks. You and Yoosung just stare at him, speechless.

Seven nonchalantly greets Yoosung and sits at his desk behind you. Your turn around, preparing a sly comment, something like “Look who finally showed up,” but Seven starts talking before you can say anything.

“Hey, you make a cute puppy” Seven giggles, resting his chin in his palm. “Can you bark for me?”

In that moment, you decide not to let Seven’s jokes get the best of you anymore.

You let out the cutest puppy-bark you can possibly muster, tilt your head slightly, and make your hands into paws; the whole shebang. You’re really channeling your inner actor in hopes of catching Seven off guard.

A feeling of satisfaction overwhelms you as Seven quickly turns into a blushing, flustered mess. He opens his mouth to say something, but instead takes is phone out of his pocket and starts going through social media. You hear Yoosung giggling softly from behind you. _You won!_ Feeling quite proud of yourself, you turn to face the front again when the bell rings and your teacher begins class.

Lunch that day was especially…interesting. Jaehee hadn’t dressed up as a bunny, but Seven came prepared with an extra pair of bunny ears that he forced on her. She protested at first, but when Seven began to whine loudly she accepted the ears just to make him shut up. You had to admit, angry Jaehee in bunny ears was kind of cute. You and Yoosung giggled together while Seven continued to torture the table.

“Zen, go sit next to Jumin. I want a picture!” Seven says, taking out his phone. Zen face twists in horror at Sevens demands.

“I’ve already been forced to dress like a cat for spirit week” Zen points to a pair of white car ears on his head. “There’s _no_ way I’m gonna take a picture with trust fund kid like this” He crosses his arms and sticks his nose up at Seven, who’s bottom lips is pushed out in sadness.

 _“Zenny...”_ Seven whines.

“C’mon, Zen” Jumin speaks up, something he doesn’t do often. “Let’s take a picture, just us cats.”

Everyone at the table looked at each other, obviously confused, while Zen sneezed and wiped his nose.

“Dude, what the heck?!” Zen looks absolutely mortified.

Jumin’s mouth lifts into a soft smile, and you realize he was _teasing Zen_. You never thought you’d live to see Jumin tell a joke, but it seemed like he was the only one entertained by the joke anyway. Jumin tells Seven to get his camera ready. He stands up, walks to were Zen was sitting, and sits down next to him, wrapping his arm tightly around Zen’s neck so he can’t escape. Poor Zen tries to break free, but can’t before Jumin throws up a peace sign and Seven snaps a photo with his phone. When Zen breaks free he tries to go after Jumin, but he narrowly escapes and returns to his seat. Zen rests his head on the table in shame, and Jaehee scolds Jumin and Seven for harassing him when he’s already been having a bad day. She’s stroking the back of his head, attempting to comfort him. You feel a little sorry for Zen, but you and Yoosung have been laughing through the whole thing anyway. When Seven shows off the blurry picture to you, and you laugh even harder. It’s no professional photograph, but still, the captured moment strikes you as sweet. You ask Seven to send you the picture through giggles.

“Oh, this treasure’s going to the group chat” Seven responds with a twinkle in his eye.

Everyone in the party planning committee was in a text group chat. You’ve been in the chat for a couple months now, since they inducted you into their committee at the beginning of the year. The chat was supposed to be for homecoming related issues only, but of course the members abused the chat like crazy. Zen sends everyone a new selfie every other day, despite objections from everyone aside from Jaehee. Seven texts the chat whenever he’s bored, or sends memes and funny posts he finds online. Most of the time, you’re the only one who finds them funny. Jaehee complains often about her workload in the chat, and Yoosung raves about his video games. Sometimes their texts wake you up at 3 AM, but you enjoy talking to everyone nonetheless.

Your phone buzzes as Seven sends the photo to the group chat. Not realizing what the text was, Zen takes out his phone to check the message he just received. When he opens the notification to see the picture, he lets out a loud groan and returns his head to the table. You save the picture to your phone, wanting to keep the memory.

After a few more minutes of Zen sulking and Jaehee reprimanding a giggly Jumin and Seven, the bell rings to mark the end of lunch. The unmotivated Zen takes some coaxing from Jaehee before he gets up to walk her to class, shoulders still slumped in embarrassment.

For the rest of the day your phone is on the fritz, blowing up with messages from Seven and Yoosung teasing Zen. You keep your phone in your pocket out of fear of being caught with it, watching Yoosung as he hides his phone in the little pocket of his backpack. He would type up a message, look up at the teacher for a few seconds, look down again, then smile at his phone.

You wonder what might happen tomorrow as you watch him. A smile creeps in to your face as you remember something Seven told you earlier that day.

_Anything can happen during spirit week._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'VE RESURRECTED MY HIGH SCHOOL AU AND I BROUGHT SPIRIT WEEK


	4. When One Spirit Week Closes Another Door Opens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The homecoming game is an essential part of any high school experience, especially when Seven would literally kill you if you didnt come

_“Come one come all! Its time to get your badger pride on!”_

A voice rang out in the courtyard as you made your way to your usual hangout spot. Every step brought you closer to the commotion, and you soon realized that the crowd was gathered around some familiar faces. Seven waved a sign that had “FACEPAINT $3,” scribbled on it while Yoosung stood next to him, painting a young girl’s face with conviction. Jaehee and Zen shared a thermos of coffee, sitting on a ledge right behind the boisterous pair. As you got closer, you could make out grey and yellow paw prints decorating their cheeks. Even though the concept of Seven and Yoosung charging for mediocre face paint jobs was completely ridiculous and probably breaking some kind of rule, it felt like the perfect start to the last day of spirit week – walking up to a few kids talking quietly in a circle just wouldn’t feel right. These are definitely your friends, and they’re idiots.

“hey, do you guys do a friends and family discount?” You tapped Yoosungs shoulder lightly, smirking as you leaned forward to examine his face-painting process. He opens his mouth to answer, but his sentence is stopped before it can even start when a cardboard sign suddenly wedges itself into whatever little space is between you two. Your view of Yoosung is replaced with a bright-eyed, heavily decorated Seven, who lifts his free hand to his mouth as if he’s about to say something he doesn’t want Yoosung to hear.

“normally I don’t allow discounts, but spirit week’s got me feeling generous”

Your eyes roll to the back of your head, thinking back on all the antics Seven forced you, and everyone else, to put up with the past four days. You’ll never forget the look on Jaehee’s face as Seven pelted her with tinsel from across the table on Wednesday when each class had to dress up as a different holiday. Thanks to his relentless singing, you’ve had _Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer_ stuck in your head for the past three days. Tuesday was ridiculous, of course, but on that day it wasn’t because of Seven. Most of the chaos on decades day was created by Zen’s American-style 90’s getup. He dove so deeply into the grunge aesthetic, he even wore some eyeliner. A barrier of squealing freshman fenced him in the entire day. Of course, spirit day, the mecca of spirit week, is no exception for over-zealous behavior. You swerve away from Seven and start toward Zen and Jaehee, but turn to reply to him before greeting the other two.

“If all this is any indication of how you and Yoosung are going to act during the football game, I might have to sit with _my other friends_ ”

Seven points at his face and responds with a resolute tone, suggesting the utmost seriousness.

_“do your other friends have cute paw prints on their faces?”_

You stick your tongue out at Seven just to make sure the severity of the situation is communicated thoroughly to him. After that your focus shifts to Jaehee and Zen, briefly interruption their conversation about homecoming court. You insert yourself into the exchange by wishing them a good morning and asking Zen how he feels about being homecoming king this year. Jaehee answers for him, emphasizing that he was the obvious choice. He scoffs and pushes his hair back, as if trying to write off the entire situation. Zen loved being homecoming king, but he’d honestly prefer spending time with his friends in the stands over escorting some chick he barley knows to the game.

“Who else would be homecoming king if not you? And you should be thankful you don’t have to sit in the stands with those two loud mouths” Jaehee appealed, and gestured toward Yoosung and Seven with her thermos.

“Jaehee, come on! Being homecoming king was cute at first but at this point I’d love to sit with those loud mouths! It definitely beats having to ride around the track with that ‘Echo Girl’ chick, or whatever she’s calling herself now.”

Zen spit out the words “Echo Girl” as if saying it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“yea, bitch probably rigged the polls anyway” Jaehee mutters into her cup before taking another sip.

You hear Seven and Yoosung snort, but Jaehee’s bitter comment flew right over Zen’s head. At that moment sharp blare rang through the courtyard, signaling that it was time for Yoosung and Seven to close up shop and go to first period. Zen hopped off the ledge and helped Jaehee down, then the two walked off together after telling everyone they would see them at lunch. You started toward your first class when you felt someone grab your hand and pull you backward. Yoosung spun you around and sloppily painted a few quick paw prints on your cheeks, from which you were unable to escape.

“Thanks a bunch, Van Gogh” you snickered, and reached up to gently push Yoosungs hair away from his face.

He batted your hand away and warned that he’d better see those paw prints on your face at the game. You told him you’d think about is as the two of you parted ways, heading to your respective first periods.

* * *

 

You crane your head over the boisterous sea of gold and grey, straining to pick out a familiar face in the stands. The sounds of one hundred high schoolers floods your ears, making it hard to focus on the task at hand: _find your friends._ It should be easy, considering one of the four people you’re scanning the crowd for told you he’d be painted from head to toe and have a bullhorn, but all the noises and smells that accompanied a high school football game stunted your ability to concentrate on finding him. What finally ended up catching your eye wasn’t the pair of boys who stood screaming with cheap gold spray paint in their hair, rather, it was the kid sitting right next to them wearing a pale blue button down, fidgeting with the buttons on his sleeves. You wave your arms over your head to catch their attention, Yoosung being the first one who notices you. He beckons you toward him, Seven, Jumin, and Jaehee with flailing limbs. Once you climbed up the bleachers to where they were, Yoosung reached out his hand to pull you into the row. On the other side of him Seven stood on the seat of the stands, hands cupped around his mouth as he leaned forward to shout with the surrounding crowd.

“You made it!” Yoosung greeted you, the bright stadium lights making his eyes glitter. You joke in response, saying you never would have spotted them if Jumin didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. When Yoosung laughs you can see it more than hear it, thanks to Seven’s screaming his lungs out from right behind him. You peek over Yoosung’s shoulder and reach around him, grabbing Sevens forearm to get his attention.

“Hey loudmouth, what happened to your bullhorn? I was counting on that to find you guys out here!”

Seven hops down from the seat and yanks his forearm toward himself, forcing Yoosung to lean back as you’re pulled in-between the two.

“Admin took it away about twenty minutes ago!”

Despite having closed the gap between you two, Seven still felt the need to shout inches away from your face. You stumble backward a bit, feeling Yoosung’s arm against the small of your back.

“the game hadn’t even started 20 minutes ago.” You pointed out, and flashed him the time on your phone as proof. He shrugs, moving his face toward your ear in an attempt to eliminate the need to raise his voice.

“I guess I’m just an enthusiastic guy.”

You pull your head away from his, finding the smug smirk his mouth is permanently pulled into. Before you can conjure up a rebuttal, your train of thought is derailed by a rise in excitement from the already rowdy surrounding crowd. Yoosung lets out a yelp and stands up on his seat to get a better view of the field, and you reach out and use his arm to pull yourself up, copying him. You aren’t exactly an expert on the rules of football, but you know enough to figure out when your team is about to score a touchdown. The student section you find yourself in the center of roars with cheers and chants as your team carries the ball down the field. You clench your fists, bouncing up and down and watching the players run with baited breath while the two boys on either side of your beg their team to run, run, run. The player  with the ball passes the threshold of the end zone, and the steady crescendo of the student section explodes all at once. You jump up a bit and give Yoosung a celebratory high-five, but when you turn to Seven to do the same he’s standing silently with one hand covering his mouth and the other resting on his hip.

“There’s a flag on the play” He explained, leaning forward to get a better read on the situation. From the other side of Seven, Jumin poked his head out.

“He’s right. They’re probably gonna call block in the back on number 23. We’ll get a few yards of penalty but I’m sure we’ll still be able to score within the next few plays, so long as number 11 learns how to throw the ball.” He chimes in, maintaining his usual dry tone despite having to raise his voice.

“Jumin you, um, know about this stuff?”

You were shocked to hear him speaking fluent football, especially after all the complaining he did about being “dragged” to the homecoming game ever year.

“You all force me to attend this game each year, I might as well know what the hell is going on.” Jumin grumbles, paying more attention to the field than to you.

Soon after that the second quarter was wrapped up, and it was time for the homecoming court to parade down the track in their sports cars. You were zoned out for much of half time, talking with Yoosung or listening to Seven make off-handed offensive jokes. When it was time for the homecoming king and queen to be driven down the track, Yoosung, Seven, Jaehee, and yourself stood and cheered as loudly as you could. The cheers were partially to show support, but also a slight effort to embarrass Zen. The time between that and the beginning of third quarter was mostly taken up with you overhearing Jaehee talk Jumin’s ear off about how much she hates Echo Girl.

For the rest of the game whenever you found yourself without a clue as to what was going on, you decided to ask Jumin about it to let him exercise his football knowledge. It was a close game, the opposing team in the lead by only three points for almost the entirety of the fourth quarter. There were three minutes left in the fourth quarter when your team scored a touchdown, triggering a deafening celebration in the student section. When the clock read 00:00 and the band played the fight song, Seven and Yoosung both grabbed your hands and sang along, struggling to dance around without falling off of the bleacher seats and injuring themselves.

“Holy shit, this like, never happens!” Yoosung gushed, his eyes widening.

“Yea, I can’t remember the last time we won a game! You must be good luck or something” Seven adds, and you feel his grip on your hand tighten.

 _This never happens?_ They can’t be serious, right? You think back on all the shenanigans of the week, particularly Seven’s relentless obsession with school spirit. Was that really for a shitty team? Unable to form words, you let go of their hands and step down from your seat. Yoosung brings up the idea of grabbing some food, but is quickly shut down by Jumin who tells him they all need to rest up for homecoming. The reminder of the dance hits you like a brick wall. With all the excitement of the game and the parade, the actual homecoming dance completely slipped you mind. Jumin was right to say that staying out too late would be a bad idea. _The dance is tomorrow, after all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wrapping up spirit week!!!!! !!! ! get ready for THE HOMECOMING DANCE,, also this fic has direction now so yay for that! i promise shit will start happening soon

**Author's Note:**

> wow! my first fic! i plan to do a lot with this AU, aside from this first main fic. this fic isn't going to be super shippy, but im gonna write different stories where you get romantic with each of them, which will be based loosely on their routes in the game.   
> i know this chapter is super Yoosung-centric but youll have your moments with all of them i promise! also dont worry V and Rika will be here a little heh.
> 
> special thanks to my editor, Kait~


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